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Total Warrior Combat further solidified their rise to the top of the Michigan MMA scene with yet ANOTHER absolutely unforgettable event, Bragging Fights II. They opened up the entire ballroom at the Best Western Plus Hotel in Lansing for this one, to accommodate the hordes of screaming fans that came out to witness the best and the baddest action around. We have to say this, folks. This event was only Total Warrior Combat’s NINTH event, but already they have established themselves amongst the crème de la crème of Michigan’s top promotions. Whether you ask the fighters, the trainers or the fans, they will gladly tell you that the ABSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLE action and quality the TWC provides is worth every last penny, every single time. With a rock solid lineup of the areas best and most well-respected gyms and trainers like Leroy Ortega and Soldados Boxing and MMA, Pound 4 Pound MMA, Murcielago MMA, The Factory, The Pit, Steve Gossett and MadMen MMA, Tate’s House of Pain, Team Impact, Target Martial Arts, The Torture Squad, Smokin’ Aces MMA, Strike Fitness and Indiana Boyz and Dusek Gym. Once Skipnosis let the hyped crowd know it was time for the action to get underway, the already electric atmosphere got even more intense, and stayed that way the entire night.

Early on in the SMOKIN’ undercard, there was a Featherweight WAR between Ionia’s Kendall Cahoon and Team Impact’s Michael Roy. Despite both young warriors having low records, this fight had the quality of a title fight! From the very start, it was a fast-paced, back-and-forth battle that kept the crowd SCREAMING through the ENTIRE regulation time limit. After three thoroughly impressive rounds, the judges deemed that the more dominant effort in this contest was put forth by a victorious Kendall Cahoon. Hats off to Michael Roy as well, for a valiant and entertaining fight! The sixth fight of the night pitted Target Martial Arts’ Brandon Ramos against Strike Fitness’s R.J. Bailey. Round one was an entertaining battle, featuring some great boxing exchanges, some great takedowns, and some nice ground and pound. Round two started right away with another great boxing exchange, followed by another great takedown by Bailey. While Bailey started trying to rain down punishment from within Ramos’ guard, Brandon was able to work in a TIGHT triangle choke for the tap and the victory at only about three-quarters of a minute in the second and final round. The seventh fight on the night was an absolutely magnificent Lightweight matchup as The Pit’s UNDEFEATED Justin Thiel took on Soldados Boxing and MMA’s Dana Ray. This was absolutely as great of a matchup as a fan could ask for. Very entertaining boxing tradeoffs, exciting clinch work, some EXPLOSIVE takedowns, some killer defense off the back, ground and pound, a series of transitions…this fight had it all. THREE full rounds of it, as a matter of fact! After an absolutely unbelievable display of skill and heart by BOTH fighters for the entire battle, the judges awarded the unanimous decision to a fatigued but elated Dana Ray. But Justin’s efforts did NOT go unnoticed or unrewarded, as this EPIC war earned both warriors “Fight of the Night” honors! The eleventh conflict on the card was a Welterweight contest between two always rapid-fire phenoms – Target Martial Arts’ UNDEFEATED Jason Anderson and The Torture Squad’s Nate Wac. The first round started with an early striking exchange, a quick clinch, and the fight ended up on the canvas. Anderson found himself in Nate’s guard, and started dropping some leather while Nate tried to block the onslaught and work toward a better position. Round two started with another quick and exciting boxing exchange, then Anderson was able to hit another takedown, ending up in Nate’s closed guard. As Anderson started looking for openings to dish out more punishment on the ground, Nate EXPLODED his hips up and nabbed a TIGHT triangle choke, then hooking the leg for good measure to prevent an escape, finishing the fight with a tap out victory at just past a minute in the second round. NOW, it was time for some GOLD to be contested, starting with the TWC Junior Lightweight title. Current champion Kory Wertz put his strap on the line against a VERY experienced Redd “Wishahonkeywood” Williams, representing Indiana Boyz and Dusek Gym. The second that the two gentleman touched gloves, it immediately became apparent that both fighters wanted the title BADLY. A couple of hards swings by Kory at the start, and Redd shot for the takedown, ending up clinching briefly with Wertz. Wertz kept creating space and letting the hands go. Redd tried several more times for the shot, but caught some solid shots for his efforts. The cumulative effect of those shots caused Williams to hit the canvas hard, forcing the ref to stop the action at just past the half minute mark in the first, and final round, causing Kory Wertz to retain his 150 pound strap for yet another future defense. The MAIN EVENT of the evening featured TWO of the most elite, experienced and dominant Lightweights in the State, facing each other in one of the most highly anticipated and speculated on matchups in recent history. Both warriors have dispatched an ELITE list of some of the best there is, and it was inevitable that they would one day collide in the cage. When they finally did, it was for possession of the TWC 155 pound strap, which was held by Murcielago MMA’s Marky “Cash” Christiansen. Looking to strip Marky of that belt in a very physical manner was Pound 4 Pound MMA’s legendary Lightweight bad boy, Zack Shaw. This fight had experience written all over it, as both fighters were so well matched, they were able to counter each others strategies nicely. All three rounds started with a bit of great striking, a bit of clinch work and a takedown. Throughout rounds one and two, Zack fought mostly within Marky’s always-dangerous guard, working a constant combination of effective body and head shots, while Marky blocked as best as possible and looked for subs and ways to sweep, while delivering some palm strikes of his own from the bottom. Round three started off exactly the same way as the previous two. With Shaw in top position once again dropping bombs, Marky tried to throw up a quick triangle choke and was stuffed on the first attempt, but managed to regain his hip position and nab a far superior triangle, this time pulling the arm across the body and pulling down hard on Zack’s head for the spectacular tap out victory in just barely over a minute and a half in the third round over an absolutely top-notch opponent, ONCE AGAIN successfully defending his Total Warrior Combat Lighweight title. Special thanks to Marky, Zack and ALL of the other fighters and trainers that represent TWC…YOU are the ones that make it EASILY one of the top of the MMA promotion food chain.

Now it’s time once again to pay honor to the dream team that comprises TWC’s staff…the guys and gals that collaborate and coordinate with one another, making TWC’s production a well oiled machine. Every company is built from the foundation up, and in record time, using the combined business prowess and learning from every experience they’ve encountered thus far, TWC’s promoters, Petey and Adam have already established a promotion whose foundation will most certainly endure the test of time. Total Warrior Combat’s long-time head referee in charge of the entire evening’s action inside the cage was FightMichigan’s very own experienced MMA official, T.J. Corwin. Judging the event was an experienced trio comprised of Mr. Dru Gardner, Mr. Joe Heikkila and former TWC Bantamweight champion Dan “The American Badass” Dunbar. Timekeeper for the event was none other than FightMichigan’s lovely miss Shannon Hale. The microphone master appointed to deliver the goods to the anxiously awaiting fans was our buddy and all-purpose pimp, Michael “Skipnosis” Gorham. Backing up Skippy with some street shaking beats was TWC’s DJ extraordinaire, Bobby “DJ BabyDaddy” Cantwell, keepin’ the turntables a-twirlin’ all night long. Heading up the Security Staff and helping gentleman Josh Stuer run the back fighters room was Mr. Tony Sterk. The man who has been doing an absolutely OUTSTANDING job of promoting Total Warrior Combat through every available medium is TWC’s SUPERB Director of Sales and Marketing, Mr. Bear Fitz. Helping with the cage door, Vaseline duty and cage cleanup were the EXTREMELY helpful trio of Dillon Deal, Jake Prosser and Max Little. Capturing all the rolling video footage of this unbelievable event was Mr. Anthony Wolf. His EXCELLENT event footage can be viewed on TWC’s website >>>here<

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Hierarchy Fighting Association was back in action this past weekend, packing the event auditorium at the Marshall Middle School in Westland with rabid fans who came out in force to see the latest and greatest show on Hierarchy’s ever-impressive event lineup. Promoter Richard Browe and matchmaker Matt Haskell, along with an AWESOME crew, did an excellent job of coordinating the event and putting together one impressive fight card! Anyone who was in the house for any of the the four previous events will attest that EVERY Hierarchy card to date has been rock solid, and this one set the bar even higher. One look at the A-list of great gyms, trainers and fight teams involved with this show, and you KNOW you’re in for a good time – Stars and Strikes MMA, Ultimate Judo and Karate, Fierce MMA, Kollide MMA, Empire MMA, Team Fearless, Windsor Jiu Jitsu, Tenacious MMA, MadMen MMA, Southwest Fight Club, Berrien MMA, U.S.A. MMA, Champion MMA, not to mention all the exceptionally skilled indie fighters that came out reppin’ themselves.

The very first fight of the night was a frenetic paced battle between Team Fearless’s Greg “Babyface” Schaffer and Stars and Strikes’ David Levy. Right from the ref’s signal, these guys went ALL OUT. All three minutes of the first round was a NON-STOP series of strikes, transitions and sub attempts. After what was an ABSOLUTELY BRUTAL pace, Levy was unable to answer the bell for the second round, giving Schaffer the first win of the event. Next up was another battle of the flyweights, as Kollide MMA’s Jamal Moses took on rival gym Stars and Strikes’ Sean “Gator” Dunn. Both fighters came straight out of the gate with something to prove. Jamal landed a HARD uppercut early on that may have caused the lights to flicker in Dunn’s house. Dunn recovered quickly, then took the fight to the ground. Once on the ground, Gator was able to maintain a dominant position despite a very spirited effort by Jamal, and slid in the rear naked choke for the victory at just past the halfway point of the very first round. Upon winning the fight, Dunn announced to the roaring crowd that he wanted his rematch against the always dangerous Will Woodford. We don’t know about you, but we DEFINITELY want to see that fight! The fourth fight of the fight was another Flyweight battle, this time featuring two HIGHLY impressive debut fighters, Indie fighter Jamie Bryant and Stars and Strikes’ John Lillis. It is ALWAYS a treat to see a mutual debut fight go the distance. It usually proves that these guys are doing their time in the gym, so they know what to do when it’s time for WAR. And this was one of those fights, where both fighters showed heart from bell to bell and left it all in the cage, with both fighters able to escape some pretty compromising situations. After three thoroughly impressive rounds, the judges awarded the unanimous decision victory to Bryant, granting him the very first win of his career over a TOUGH opponent. Next up, going up to the Featherweight division, it was a battle of two warriors, both looking to secure their first big “W”. Fierce MMA’s Trevor Groves and Stars and Strikes’ Jamarr Armstrong stepped inside the steel to see who was gonna take the next step forward and who would return to the drawing board. Round one was action packed, with both fighters displaying skill and heart. At the start of round two, Jamar went in for the kill right away, taking the fight to the mat and POUNDING out a nice TKO victory. The eighth fight of the night was a GREAT match, AND had an interesting clause…both combatants were in fact TRAINING PARTNERS. Team Fearless’s Antonio “It’s Showtime” Gonzalez and Brandon Morris put aside their brotherhood for a few minutes for the sake of competing and putting on a GREAT display for the crowd on hand. These guys were VERY evenly skilled, to say the least. The fight came to an end at just barely under the one minute mark in round two when Morris picked up Gonzalez and slammed him to the mat HARD, causing a brief but fight ending flash KO. A HUGE amount of respect goes out to both of these guys for showing the type of sportsmanship that makes MMA unique! In the Lightweight division, two fairly new arrivals to the MMA scene put their as-of-yet undefeated records on the line to see whose “0” would go…Tenacious MMA’s Dan Wince and Stars and Strikes MMA’s Jason Hendrie. These two put on an entertaining standup WAR. Both Wince AND Hendrie stayed right in the pocket and let the hands go, but Hendrie got the better of the exchange in the first round. Hendrie smelled blood going into round two, and came out STRONG right off the bat to finish the fight in less than half a minute into the second round. Hats off to both fighters for an exciting boxing display! Fight number ten had “impressive” written all over it, as Karl Kokkonen took on Southwest Fight Club’s Keith Bullock. These warriors threw leather, mixed it up on the ground, brought it back to the feet…CONTINUOUSLY throughout the entire fight. After the fight ended and the score cards were gathered, all three judges concluded that Kokkonen came out on top in what was an exciting three rounder. This next fight, a Bantamweight battle that had ALL the makings of a title fight, featured two well-known and respected warriors, Marcus “Icemane” Wheeler and Stars and Strikes’ Doug “Chupacabra” Babler. Anything could have happened with this one…these guys came out so hard, it was just a matter of time until one of these two 135 pound studs found an opening and capitalized on it. With the fight hitting the ground IMMEDIATELY, there was a heated scramble for position. During this rapid-fire series of transitions, Doug was able to take Icemane’s back, sink the hooks in and find some neck to squeeze, forcing the ALWAYS tough Icemane to tap out in under a minute in the first and final round. The next fight on the card was a Welterweight war featuring Empire MMA’s Brad Campbell and Ultimate Judo and Karate’s Andrew Crushshon. The level of grappling skills in this fight was amazing. Although the fight was short, there was a clinic of jiu jitsu escapes and reversals. At just under two minutes in the first round, Campbell locked in a TIGHT triangle choke, forcing the tap, and pulling off what many would consider a HUGE upset victory over a well-known local badboy. In yet ANOTHER title fight quality matchup, two more respected and well-known cage warriors stepped up to get it done, MadMen MMA’s Frank “The Tank” Thomas and U.S.A. MMA’s Brandon “Iron Man” Maddox. As was expected, the pace was BRUTAL. Maddox was on the prowl from the start, and Frank was able to snuff some great sub attempts early on. With the fight on the ground, the scramble for position was on. After some killer sweeps and transitions, Maddox threw up a bloodflow stopping triangle choke for the tap and the finish over the always-game Tank at around the minute and three quarter mark of round one. Now it was TITLE FIGHT time…starting with the Flyweights. Ultimate Judo and Karate’s Michael Jordan faced off against Stars and Stikes’ Dustin “The Machinist” Babler for the belt and bragging rights in the 125 pound division. These guys pushed the pace HARD for the duration of the fight, and after some scrambling and ground exchanges, Jordan was able to lock on a firm triangle choke for the tap and the strap late in the first round. The Hierarchy Bantamweight title fight was an epic battle pitting Windsor Jiu Jitsu’s Billie James Smethurst against wrestling specialist and Stars and Strikes’ local badboy Derrick “Give ‘em Hell” Mandell. Billie showed the heart of a champ, fending off Mandell’s constant attacks and returning fire with shots and sweeps of his own. But just past the minute mark into the second round, Mandell’s ground and pound onslaught proved to be too much, forcing the VERY TOUGH Canadian fighter to verbally submit. Derrick Mandell emerges victorious as the 135 pound Hierarchy champ. The Welterweight title fight was a treat for the fans. On paper, this was as exciting of a match as one could ask for. Berrien MMA’s Nick “Rage” Sondergeld stepped inside to face Stars and Strikes’ Scott Brown in what was a short, but VERY sweet title fight. The ref started the fight, and these two took the center of the cage. The feeling out process was SHORT. After a stuffed takedown attempt, Scott found himself on the bottom of Sondergeld’s sprawl. He managed to keep hold of one leg, then grab the other foot and turn the corner for a takedown. But during his takedown attempt, Scott left an opening, and Nick’s experience paid dividends, as he locked in an inescapable inverted triangle for the tap and the title belt finish at a mere forty two seconds in the very first round. The MAIN EVENT was the HIGHLY anticipated Heavyweight brawl featuring Champion MMA’s big, bad brawler Duke “The Big Show” Lough against Stars and Strikes’ heavy hitter, Donnie Laramie. The two fighters touched gloves, took a step back, then charged in with fists flying IMMEDIATELY. Donnie rocked Duke early with some hard shots, and the fight went to the ground. Duke fought as hard as possible to regain position and get the fight back to the feet, but to no avail. Donnie was able to keep Duke grounded, delivering HUGE, punishing shots the whole time. At EXACTLY thirty seconds into the fight, Donnie DEVASTATING assault forced Duke to call it quits. Donnie got the DOMINATING win and walked away holding the Hierarchy Heavyweight championship belt. Now that this great night of fights was concluded, the fans packed up and left the arena, still glowing from all the excitement they had just witnessed. Here’s a shout out to all the AWESOME fighters, trainers and gyms who came out to be a part of this first-class event, as well as a tip of the hat to all of our Canadian brothers and sisters who made the journey all the way to Michigan to put on a show for the fans here! This truly was a great show. But you don’t have to take our word for it…you can check out the footage from this event as well as Hierarchy’s previous events on Hierarchy’s YouTube channel.

The staffing for this event was SECOND TO NONE. These skilled and motivated guys and gals did a PHENOMENAL job of keeping everything in order! Without a solid staff, NOTHING gets done. This section is dedicated to them. Starting with the keepers of the cage, A.K.A referees…Michigan pro fighter and experienced cage official Danny McIntire, Michigan pro bad boy Brian Householder and FightMichigan’s veteran ref T.J. Corwin. Judging the night’s action were Warrior Xtreme Combat promoter Jeff Pitock, Michigan ammy fighter Jamey “Ink Daddy” Dushane and FightMichigan’s very own Shannon Hale. Lightin’ up the night and keepin’ the crowd HYPED was Eternal Entertainment Group’s Joey Ruckus. Working at the cage door on Vaseline patrol was Michigan ammy fighter and gentleman Anthony Morse. Working the cage door, helping coordinate the event, assisting with ticket sales…you name it, were Brian Duka and his fiancee Jenni Offerman. And to the rest of you who helped ensure smooth sailing, here’s to you…you know who you are! A quick shout to the vendors in the house…Vengeance Fight Gear, MI Entertainment and Tenacious Fight Gear. Last, but MOST DEFINITELY not least, a shout out to the AWESOME cageside EMT’s for the event, Shean “The Docinator” Poppenhager and Jeremy Schroth. Good cageside medics and competent referees are the most important people at an event…period. You guys RULE. If this event is any sign of things to come, you can expect even MORE amazing things from Hierarchy in the future. And we assure you, the SECOND they announce their next event, we’ll be on top of it, and we’ll deliver all the goods via our “Upcoming Events” page, so check back often. And check out these amazing results while you’re waiting…
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Ground and Pound Promotions, in association with Rock Boss Entertainment, returned to Rivertown Sports Complex with an event that fans will be talking about for a LONG, LONG time. While we at FightMichigan was unable to be in the house this time around, we have heard nothing but RAVING reviews on the show, with many hailing the event as “The best GPP event to date”…which covers a LOT of ground, considering some of the unforgettable shows GPP has provided the MMA world in the past. They had to rush order more seats and even all available standing room was PACKED because of SUCH an overwhelming turnout for the event. Promoters Paul Simpson and Rocky Parks did a PHENOMENAL job of setting up and coordinating this event, as well as the rest of the first-class GPP crew. Speaking of first-class crew…before we get started, I would like to take a moment to thank the man who made this article happen, as well as others you will see here on FightMichigan, our good buddy Dru Gardner. As the fans settled in their seats, the lights went low, and the singing of our National Anthem signified the beginning of this unbelievable fight card. As the action got underway, fans were gearing up to root on all of their faves from such prestigious gyms and dojos such as Triumph MMA, Grand Rapids Mixed Martial Arts, Middleville MMA, American Muscle MMA, MadMen MMA, Unleashed MMA, Xtreme MMA and more!

Right from the START, the crowd was amped. And they had good reason to be! The crowd-pumping began IMMEDIATELY, with an exciting stand-up WAR between GRMMA’s Matt Cowger and Madmen MMA’s Jeff Talbot. This ended up being a good, ‘ol fashioned kickboxing match for the most part, with BOTH fighters with a lot of clean, down-the-pipe striking. Round one was a clinic, which picked right back up in round two. After many more nice exchanges throughout the second round, Talbot landed a shot that put his opponent to sleep with only FIVE SECONDS left in the round, securing the victory and a SWEET knockout, as well as kicking off the event with a BANG! In the fourth fight if the night, Ryan Zinski stepped into the cage to face Casey Edgar. While both fighters were working hard for the finish, Edgar’s pedigree in wrestling proved to be overwhelming for most of the duration of the fight. Using said wrestling to secure a dominant position, Casey ended the fight at just past the two minute mark via TKO. Fight number eight was a battle between a couple of rock solid fighters, Dylan Soper and Eric Lozano. The two combatants wasted no time getting to work. Lozano’s assault was relentless and devastating. In less than halfway through the first round, Lozano unleashed a BRUTAL barrage of strikes that forced his opponent to tap out, leaving Eric in the winner’s circle with another impressive victory under his belt. In the very next fight, it was a fast-paced BRAWL as Jake Ackerburg took on Middleville MMA/GRMMA’s Mateo Soto. These two came out with all guns blazing and swingin’ for the fences. The pace continued fast and furious for ALL of the first round. Early in round two, as Ackerburg was attempting the takedown, Mateo was able to shoot his hand under his opponent’s arm and lock in a TIGHT D’arce choke that forced the tap. Moving on to some TITLE FIGHT action, it was a war for the Rock Boss 185 pound gold as defending champion, GRMMA’s Timothy “Too Tall” Harvey, faced off against the challenger, American Muscle MMA’s Joe Knoor. Tim was able to defend his title successfully in rather rapid fashion, taking the fight to the ground and finishing the fight with a textbook Americana at EXACTLY the one minute mark in the very first round, therefor retaining his title. Next up was an excellent matchup in the Lightweight division, with the GPP 155 pound strap on the line. Rich Stafford put the gold up against Xtreme MMA’s seasoned veteran, Arturo DeLeon in a battle that sounded sweet on paper. And it did not disappoint, with the leather flying fast the whole time. Rich got the better of the exchange on the feet, then later into the first round, got the takedown against the cage. Rich wasted no time securing top mount, and just past two and a half minutes into the very first round, Rich was able to punch, elbow and pound out the TKO victory, placing the strap around his waist once again. Next up, it was a five round knock down, drag out MMA CLINIC as GRMMA’s Antwain “A-Train” Wilson took on SMAC’s Derek Martin. This fight had it ALL – excellent standup, killer clinch work, takedowns, sub attempts, you name it. After five absolutely awe-inspiring rounds, the judges awarded the unanimous decision victory to the NEW Rock Boss Welterweight champion, Antwain “A-Train” Wilson. Now it was time for the GPP Middleweight title to be contested, and Unleashed MMA’s Raylen Davis and Madmen MMA’s Alex Russell answered the call. Raylen Davis DOMINATED the fight, with a SPECTACULAR suplex right from the start (Ray enjoys doing that to people), then followed it up with some VICIOUS ground and pound to seal the deal. Ray emerged victorious, with the GPP 185 pound belt in tow. Next, it was time for the Rock Boss Featherweight title fight, featuring Middleville MMA’s Mundo Lerma versus Nick “The King” Beaman. These two went at it NONSTOP for four full rounds. Despite Lerma’s spirited efforts, Beaman got the better of the standup, with the jab keeping his opponent at a distance. Beaman was also able to stuff some takedown attempts, and kept right on with the standup. At the conclusion of the fourth round, Lerma was unable to continue due to the punishment dealt by Beaman. Nick Beaman walked away from the fight as the NEW Rock Boss 145 pound champ. Next on the card were the BIG guy doing battle for the GPP Heavyweight championship. As soon as the ref started the fight, Kevin Koyl and GRMMA’s Felix Juarez got it ON. TWENTY THREE SECONDS LATER, it was all over. Juarez’s hand proved LETHAL, knocking Koyl out cold. You can check out the video here. Juarez takes the PHENOMENAL knockout victory as well as the GPP Heavyweight belt. Getting into the Light Heavyweight division, Unleashed MMA’s Travis Ganong stepped up to face American Muscle MMA’s Victor Jones for the GPP 205 pound title. Travis was able to control the takedowns and position throughout most of round one. In round two, Victor was able to keep the fight upright. At just under a minute and a half in the second round, Jones landed a GNARLY uppercut that knocked his opponent out and made him the newest GPP Light Heavyweight champ! Closing out this fabulous event was the Super Heavyweight battle that everyone was waiting for – The Lab and GRMMA’s Esteven Juarez versus American Muscle MMA’s Ramon Pacheco. Both of these guys are known for their heavy hands, and just about EVERYONE was expecting a knockout, it was merely a question of whose hands it would be at. Both warriors came out respectful and cautious. After a brief feeling out, the clinic began. These two renown strikers exchanged many shots, including BOTH fighters landing HEAD KICKS. That’s right folks…not a typo. Super Heavyweights. Head kicks. At just shy of the two minute mark in the second round, it happened. One of Juarez’s shots found it’s mark, and the fight was over. Knock out. Esteven Juarez was crowned as the GPP Super Heavyweight champ. With this epic card in the books, it was time for the winners to celebrate and the losers to pick up and regroup. A HUGE shout out to ALL of the superb fighters and trainers that helped make this event quite possibly the best GPP event ever. It couldn’t have happened without YOU!

I mentioned above GPP’s first-class crew…now it’s time to be a little more specific. These are the folks that make things happen, both behind the scenes and on the floor. The cage officials (referees) for the event were Michigan ammy Lightweight phenom and Vengeance Fight League 155 pound champion Budd Wright and Triumph MMA’s Sean “The Rebel” Dizay. Judges (in rotation) for the event were George Hedgepeth, Dru Gardner, Dan “The American Badass” Dunbar and Dave “Big Shuck” Shuckerow. Lighting up the night and the mic and deliverin’ the goods right was Michael “Skipnosis” Gorham, and backing him up on the 1’s and 2’s was DJ Babydaddy. A special shout goes out to Lonny Young…anyone who has seen him work at an event knows that he runs himself RAGGED at these shows to make sure EVERYTHING’S well coordinated, and we all appreciate it! The ice cold refreshments on tap (A.K.A. BEER) was provided by the Ellison Foundation. Ground and Pound Promotions and Rock Boss Entertainment made a statement with this event – they are here to STAY. And in order to keep up on all the latest new events from them and ALL the others around the State, all ya gotta do is check back right here at FightMichigan on a regular basis! Here are your results…
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Total Warrior Combat returned home to where it ALL began this past Saturday night, the Causeway Bay Hotel in Lansing. The name of the event was “Anger Management”, and it was most appropriate, because there were some HEATED rivalries on this fight card! There was a top-shelf roster of amateur talent from the Lansing area, Indiana, Florida and Georgia, representing such great teams as Xtreme MMA, Murcielago MMA, American Top Team, Patino’s Martial Arts, The Torture Squad, Madmen MMA, The Man Cave, New Body MMA, The Lab, Pound 4 Pound, Camp Tisdale, Grand Rapids Mixed Martial Arts, Hollywood MMA, Target Martial Arts, Spartan Xtreme MMA, Soldado’s Boxing, Great Lakes Ground and Pound and Team Bully. Representing himself and American Top Team, UFC legend Thiago Silva was in the house, cornering his fighters, demonstrating techniques in the back, hanging out with fans and signing LOTS of autographs…a true gentleman indeed. Also, for the first time ever, fans arriving at the show found a fighter bio packet with each seat containing some vital details on some of the event’s combatants, as painstakingly assembled by Mr. Dru Gardner.

Once the action began, there was no time to blink between intermissions, as this was the most amazing card TWC has had to date, and that is an impressive feat, considering some of the previous events’ fight cards! Right from the start, Target Martial Arts’ Derek Walker took on Patino’s Martial Arts’ Aaron “Ironman” Cook in a well-matched battle that made it to the onset of round three before Cook was able to unleash a series of strikes on the ground that brought an end to the fight via ref stoppage. In the second matchup, Spartan Extreme’s Jeremy Swainston faced Great Lakes Ground and Pound’s Jamie Forton in a bout that was closely matched throughout the first round. In the early second round, the fight hit the ground right away, with the fighters in leglock position. Forton was QUICK to take advantage of the position by sinking in a PAINFUL achilles lock for the tap out and the win. In the ladies’ division, Xtreme MMA’s Caitlyn Young stepped up to face Mary Jane Matlock in Mary’s second fight, after debuting only a week earlier. Caitlyn fought a smart and careful fight, picking Mary apart piece by piece with jabs and leg kicks for the first round and a half. At just past the halfway point of round two, Caitlyn caught Mary with several hard shots, ending the fight in dominant fashion via TKO. Immediately following was a showdown between Madmen MMA’s Frank “The Tank” Thomas (who took the fight on the spot as a late replacement) and Indiana’s Andrew Karsten. This battle had so many amazing transitions, sweeps, hip escapes, submission attempts, you name it – through all three rounds and to the judges score cards. It was so close that the judges came up with a SPLIT decision in the favor of Karsten. An impressive and memorable fight indeed! Next came ANOTHER impressive display that went all the way, when Lansing’s Dana Ray faced American Top Team’s Andy Lopez in a Bantamweight war for the ages. The pace was frenetic and constant for the duration of the bout, with Dana Ray coming out on top via unanimous decision. NOW, if there was one fight on the card that defined the event name “Anger Management, it was this one: Pound 4 Pound’s Kory Wertz versus Grand Rapids Mixed Martial Arts’ Terry “The Greatest Show on Earth” VanAvery. There were some less-than-kind words exchanged between these two in the weeks leading up to the fight…and hostilities were high coming in. The first round was spent mostly in the clinch, up against the cage, exchanging knees and pummeling for position. Just over the one minute mark in the second round, with the fight on the ground, Korey unleashed a devastating ground and pound assault that brought an end to the fight and the rivalry. After all was said and done, mutual respect was shown by both combatants. The crowd electrified as Murcielago MMA’s hometown hero Skeeter Kittle faced Indiana’s always-exciting Nate “The Shinobi” Wac. It was non-stop excitement the whole first round, and at about thirty seconds into round two, Skeeter got into a dominant position and cinched a rear naked choke that put his opponent to sleep for the screaming hometown fans! The rest of the night was all title fight excitement, starting with the Flyweight division. American Top Team’s Andres Aleman faced The Lab’s MULTIPLE title holder Eddie “The Machete” Tamez to see who would emerge as the TWC 125 pound champ. It was a short lived but impressive display by both fighters that concluded near the halfway point of the very first round, with Aleman locking on a PERFECT armbar for the impressive victory and the title belt. The Heavyweight title fight was a highly anticipated rubber match, with each opponent holding a single victory over the other. Both Camp Tisdale’s Joe Clementz and Hollywood MMA and American Top Team’s Thomas “The Tornado” Duncan came to show the crowd in attendance that the big boys can go non-stop too! And they did just that, for one and a half rounds, before Joe Clementz scored a win via verbal sub, putting him at 2-1 on their ongoing saga. The next match was the title fight for the Super Heavyweight strap featuring two LARGE and skilled warriors, The Man Cave’s Ryan “The Rhino” Johnson and Matt “The Tower of Pain” Blaine. It’s a rare gem to see men this size that are able to push the pace the way these two did…on the feet, on the ground, wherever the fight went. Despite a valiant effort by Ryan that included some solid shots that found their mark and some impressive escapes on the ground, Blaine’s ground and pound assault proved to be overwhelming. Matt walks away retaining the Super Heavyweight championship…congrats! Next on the night was a Light Heavyweight belt fight featuring New Body MMA’s David O’Neil and The Lab’s wily cage veteran Matt “The Nightmare” Stringham. David surprised many people by dominating much of the fight, controlling position, and dishing out some excellent ground and pound. After nearly finishing the fight at the end of round one, O’Neil regained the same position as he had at the conclusion of the first round and unleashed another barrage of strikes on the ground to end the fight and claim the 205 pound belt. The last fight of the night was a Welterweight championship battle pitting Murcielago MMA’s Dequan “The Tarantula” Townsend against The Torture Squad and Man Cave’s undefeated Ryan Konrath. After a brief feeling out, the first strike of the fight was a flying knee by Dequan just as Konrath was shooting for the takedown. For a lesser fighter, that shot would have spelled the end. But Ryan pushed on, but was caught later in the first round in a fight-ending triangle, as Dequan used his length to his advantage perfectly. Dequan remains on top of TWC’s stacked 170 pound division. Hats off to ALL of the champions that retained their titles as well as all of NEW ones, and every other warrior on the card that came out to be a part of this landmark event!

And on to the great folks that make it all possible…the staff. Gotta start from the top…the promoters Adam and Pete, who have provided Lansing fans with some of the best MMA action out there, and have made HUGE improvements on each and every event, turning TWC into a force to be reckoned with. The cage enforcement professional in charge of all of the action in the cage was FightMichigan’s very own T.J. Corwin, assisted at the cage door by Justin “Bubba” MacKenzie, with David Rohn handling Vaseline duty. The judges for the event were the VERY experienced trio of Dru Gardner, Ed Pigeon, and Mickey Millis. The timekeeper for the event was FightMichigan’s lovelier other half, Shannon Hale. The M.C. for the evening was our good buddy and LEGEND on the microphone, Phil “The Voice” Davey. Still photography for the event was skillfully handled by Fierce Photography’s Noah Paris. Video for the event will be available soon via TWC’s YouTube channel. As we mentioned before, Total Warrior Combat is growing exponentially with each and every new event, and after only seven shows, has established itself amongst the best promotions out there. Their next HUGE event will be on January 21st, and we’ve had a sneak preview of who’s ALREADY booked for the card, and all we can say is BE THERE! For even more details on that show and all the other spectacular events in Michigan, check our “Upcoming Events” page regularly! Until the next time, here are your results…
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Warrior Xtreme Cagefighting was back in action this past Saturday night at the Gibraltar Center in Taylor with yet another spectacular event! The downriver MMA fans packed the house to witness their favorite local cage warriors and champions in action. The action got underway with a couple of debut fighters who left it all in the cage – Joel “The Young Assassin” Stone and Larry Helka. These two exchanged blows back and forth non-stop for the first two rounds. Finally, halfway through round 3, the fight went to the ground and Joel got his first victory via rear naked choke. In the third bout of the evening, Sean “Gator” Dunn squared off against the always-ready Russell “The Ruckus” Campbell. It was a fast paced battle when Dunn took the fight to the ground, got his opponent’s back with the hooks in, and unleashed a flurry of strikes that forced the referee to call a stop to the contest. In the ladies division, Kathleen “Lil’ S**t” Albany took the stage against Hayley “Ice Cold” Winters. It was an interesting matchup of similar styles. These ladies went all out – until Kathleen was able to get the fight to the ground and secure the rear naked for the win. Next up, Darryol “The Hitman” Humphery went to WAR with Nate “Rampage” Ellison. These two warriors fought tooth-and-nail for three round of constant action, with Darryol earning the decision from all three judges unanimously. Then it was on to the title fights! Starting with the Flyweight division – Thomas Fudoli challenged belt holder Michael Gonzales for the strap and the bragging rights. There was no time to blink in this one. Fudoli came out strong and ended the fight early with a quick rear naked choke. Moving up to the Lightweight division, Team Savage’s Jerome “The Ox” Ottler faced Stars and Strikes’ Chris Wolfgang in a very well matched and exciting fight. About two minutes into the second round, Chris locked on a TIGHT Kimura for the win and the title. The next fight was a Heavyweight title qualifier match featuring two of Michigan’s premier Heavyweights – both champions in other organizations – against each other. Hollywood MMA & American Top Team’s Thomas Duncan and Scorpion Fighting System’s Michael “Wojo” Wojciechowski put on a standup clinic in the first round. Wojo got the takedown EARLY in round 2 and wasted no time securing a smooth Americana for the tap and the strap. Now Wojo will go on to face the current WXC Heavyweight champion, Ray “The War Machine” Rocheleau at WXC’s next event on December 3rd. The 185 and 205 pound belts were scheduled to be defended, but both Gary “The Coroner” Conradson and Michael “The Sandman” Raffone’s (who has had three consecutive opponents back out on him) opponents got cold feet and ran, giving them the titles by default. Gary won’t be keeping his long though…he announced his pro debut for King of the Cage on November 12th! In the Main Event of the evening, Muay Thai specialist Mark Poupard stepped up to challenge champ Tyler Pitock for the belt in the Welterweight division. It was a great exchange on the feet through all of round one. Early on in round two, Tyler’s arm found Mark’s neck and locked in a SUPER TIGHT standing guillotine that put an untimely end to Mark’s night and left Tyler still holding the belt. During this event, there was also a Halloween themed ring girl contest, with a $100 first prize, a professional photo shoot, and the opportunity to be WXC’s next top ring girl. While ALL of the ladies brought out their best, one girl won the crowd over unanimously…Miss Amanda Corder Webber. Congrats to Amanda on the win and thank you for reminding us all that there are other great reasons to go to a show than just fighting! Keeping the action fair and safe for the event were the experienced duo of Danny McIntire and Doug “Forever Single” Gallegos. Working the cage door and applying the Vaseline was MadMen MMA’s Steve Gossett. The judges were John, Jim, and Shelly Bedford, with John pulling double duty as timekeeper. The sound team was the trifecta of total mastery – on the mic, Mr. Throwdown himself, Pete Trevino Jr…along with Eternal Entertainment Group’s crowd-amping innovator, Joey Ruckus. Backing them both up with the beats that shake the streets was E.E.G.’s other half, DJ Trevy Trev. Joey was also ripping it up on the color commentary, along with Judo legend, first class trainer and Michigan pro fighter Harley “Swede” Wallen. The matchmaker for the event was local fighter and MMA guru Jamey “Ink Daddy” Dushane. In charge of the fight footage was the one and only Michigan MMA video guru, Shiloh “Blu” Shilinski. You can check out TONS of local MMA footage on Shiloh’s YouTube Channel. Warrior Xtreme Cagefighting’s promoter Jeff Pitock has many things in the works…Born Fighter Magazine, Made in the Cage, and another smokin’ hot event set for December 3rd! Keep us bookmarked…we’ll keep you informed! Here are your results…
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Saturday evening marked the first collaboration of 2 promoters, as MadMen MMA joined forces with Top Dog Fight League to form MadDog Fight Entertainment. Promoters Steve Gossett and Mark Scott did a fine job of coordinating an exciting, action-packed fight card. The event took place outdoors at the spacious Bernie’s Cedar Haven Campground, just down the road from the Michigan International Speedway. The cage was set up at the base of a bowl type hill, providing a great view of the action from all sides. There were a lot of hometown heroes showcasing their skills, as well as some exceptionally impressive debuts. The night started of fast and furious with John “The Machine” Price delivering a nice first round KO (Yeah, buddy!). While there were several “Fight of the Night” quality match-ups, a couple of them were simply amazing. Raphael Rodriguez went to battle with Andrew Zuke in a three round battle that kept the judges very busy. Josh Killion squared off against Freddie Cortez for the MadDog 145lb. championship belt in a bloody war that was a veritable highlight reel from start to finish, with Josh Killion coming out with a victory. Josh will now move on to defend his belt against Terry VanAvery at an upcoming event. Nick Bowen stepped up to face Brandon “Sequoyah” Sandford for the 135lb. strap in a technical battle that almost went all five rounds before Sequoyah secured a textbook armbar. The main event of the evening featured Tyler Ray facing MadMen MMA’s badboy, Frank “The Tank” Thomas. The battle was one non-stop chain of action right up to the finish! Announcing this fine event was a gentleman and FightMichigan friend, Shae Brophy. The overseers of the action (referees) were FightMichigan’s T.J. Corwin, as well as two local cagefighting badboys, Terry “The Greatest Show on Earth” VanAvery and Joel “Lil’ Juggernaut” Chapman. The judges for the night (in rotation) were Ben Cummings, Don “Grampa” Williams, Augusta Tindall, Dru Gardner and FightMichigan’s Shannon Hale, who was also doubled as the trusty timekeeper for the event. Despite Mother Nature’s attempt to stop the action, these warriors fought on and provided the fans in attendance with some great action and a night to remember! MadDog Fight Entertainment is off to a strong start, with big things and more dates coming VERY soon! Keep checking back right here…we’ll have all the details for you shortly. Here are your results…
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Before we get started here, I’d like to apologize for the delay on getting this posted. Jason “Muggzie” Mugg made this post possible by forwarding us the results, complete with a writeup and a lot of tags! Thanks, Jason! Read on…

Saturday night was an awesome night of fights! We were surprised by some unlikely newcomers and pleasantly pleased by the showmanship of some amateur MMA locals. Jackson Michigan was on fire tonight as the local fighters beat down their out of town competitors consistently and repetitively one after the other. Madmen MMA brought their A-game tonight, as their fight team had a majority of wins in their favor.

Referee Doug Gallegos was on top of his game tonight calling a very fair set of matches till a rogue knee caught him in the top of his head leaving him to be replaced for a couple rounds. The National Anthem was sung By Jackson local Kasey Wyatt. Our Judges for the evening were Don (Grandpa) Williams, Shaun Rozanski and Jason (the Keystroke Guru) Mugg. Thanks to Jackson Radio Work’s Marc Daly for coming out and MC’ing the event. As always Amateur Combat Sports has done it right with this latest event! Thanks again for all the staff that make it possible for us to attend these great events! Here are your results…
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